What started out as a routine night of poker with friends turned into a once-in-a-lifetime fishing experience. Dustin Richter and company were about to turn in for the night when their line began to run. They had no idea what was on the other end, but it was the only bite of the night. About 30 minutes of reeling it in, what was revealed was one of the sea’s most interesting, and endangered, creatures: a sawfish.
This sawfish was no baby, though. Measuring 11 feet and weighing roughly 500 pounds, this particular fish is on the larger end of the spectrum as they can grow up to 25 feet in length. As responsible fishermen, the boys let it go. Reeling the fish in was enough to satiate their gaming appetite. Clearly, not abiding by catch-and-release would be going too far. However, the endangered fish did leave behind one souvenir that validates their fish story.
Dustin Richter explains to ABC News:
